


Becoming a Potter

by Drunkonturpentine



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Drabble, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Sirius Black & James Potter Friendship, Sirius Black's Flying Motorbike, Sirius's shitty childhood, except it doesn't fly in this so I guess it's a muggle au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-27
Updated: 2019-03-27
Packaged: 2019-12-25 11:10:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 763
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18260081
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Drunkonturpentine/pseuds/Drunkonturpentine
Summary: Sirius loses a family and finds a new one.





	Becoming a Potter

**Author's Note:**

> Super short drabble in honor of James Potter's birthday. As tragic as Sirius's family history is, I've always loved the image of James welcoming his runaway best friend with open arms.

As it turned out, Sirius Black’s worldly possessions boiled down to the following: one (1) duffel bag of clothing, with a few pairs of shoes and a toothbrush thrown in; two (2) rucksacks, stuffed with a laptop, textbooks, a stray handful of school supplies, and as much of his vinyl collection as could carry; and one (1) brand-new Royal Enfield Classic 350, a sleek black motorcycle with fire engine red detailing he’d named Brigitte Bardot.

The bike sped through the night, carrying its cargo and passenger through the near-empty streets of London just after three in the morning. A midsummer heatwave had brought a storm with it; Sirius raced through it without care, rain ricocheting off his body, bags, and bike and sloshing up over the sidewalks in miniature waves where the tires cleaved through it. Visibility wasn’t great, but it didn’t matter; Sirius knew the route, and besides, he had to get away. It was now or never.

He parked Brigitte half an hour later in the gravel driveway outside the Potters’ home. A pajama-clad, confused-looking James answered the door and Sirius wondered what he must look like standing there on the stoop, drenched and broken, bleeding and bruised. He cracked a smile that didn’t reach his eyes and said, “Finally bought the bike. Fancy a ride? ‘S a lovely night out here.”

Growing more awake by the second, James took in the sight of his friend, his confusion giving way to grim understanding. “You left?” he asked, looking from Sirius to the bags strewn at his feet and back again. “Yep!” Sirius said with forced cheer. His eyes were wild; his body hummed with manic energy. “For good, this time. Better off without ‘em, eh? The bastards.” He paused, smile falling as he began to crack despite himself. “Only thing is, I—didn’t have anywhere else to go.”

It’s all he could utter before James pulled him into a hug, stepping backwards as he grabbed Sirius so they both landed safely inside the warm, dry house. James held him together as Sirius gripped at the back of his friend’s pajama shirt, sobbing and shaking apart. James wrapped a hand around the back of Sirius’s neck, holding him securely as he reassured him in a low voice: “You’re safe. You’re staying here. This is your home now. I don’t give a damn what your mother says.”

With all the commotion, Mr. and Mrs. Potter inevitably awoke and came downstairs to take in the scene in their living room; their son sitting on the sofa, barefoot and rumpled with sleep, with an arm around the shoulders of Sirius Black, who sat beside him, head hung low and wet hair falling in front of his eyes. With the Potters’ gentle prompting, Sirius spoke his whole truth out loud for the first time in his life. He told his new family about everything that had been going on at home; the arguments, the abuse, the selfish attempts to control every aspect of his life and future. He felt like crying for a second time when Mrs. Potter pressed a hot cup of tea into his cold hands and ran soothing fingers through his hair. He couldn’t remember the last time his mother did that for him.

Sirius was corralled into the bathroom for a hot shower while the Potters readied the spare bedroom. He supposed it wasn’t a spare room anymore, though; it was his room, for the foreseeable future. Warmth unfurled in his chest at the thought. Maybe this was where he was always meant to end up; with the loving Mr. and Mrs. Potter and with James, his brother in all but blood. Given the ungodly hour, no one lasted too much longer after that. Mr. Potter gave Sirius some paracetamol for his cuts and bruises, and Mrs. Potter fixed him a second cuppa—herbal this time, to help him sleep—before giving him one last hug goodnight. James helped him carry his bags up to his room, but the pair ended up falling asleep in James’s bed, side by side, after devising some grand adventures for the rest of their summer holiday. 

When Sirius woke the next morning, memories of the night before came flooding back, along with the storm of emotions inside him—the fear, the rage, the despair. As a laughing James playfully thwacked him with a pillow, though, he held onto the relief he felt. The worst was over; his past was behind him. And maybe, here with this family who’d welcomed him with open arms, happiness was ahead.


End file.
